Gun of Ashes

I was beyond saving, but I was one of the main members of the research team. For the knowledge in my mind, these people brought me back and even built me a set of metal prosthetics.

The bad news is, I lost my lower body; the good news is, I can now smash concrete with a single kick.

Reza even said he specially added some equipment for me, like a certain device that can transform waste from my body into a Water Blade...

I know he’s trying to cheer me up because Johnny also died.

She was there when the accident happened.

[Log Entry-???]

The catastrophe continues, the monster, like a Nightmare, was not killed. In the midst of pursuit, it keeps ”evolving”, or ”distorting,” growing more terrifying, eventually abandoning its flesh and turning into a spiritual entity.

The death toll keeps rising... This is our fault, I blame myself every day.

I... I don’t think I’ll continue writing logs anymore.

[Log Entry-???]

How long has it been since I last logged? If it weren’t for these important matters, I might never have opened this log again in my life.

How many years has this war lasted? I can’t quite remember. In short, ever since that mistake years ago, that monster has been expanding continuously, displaying its fearsome Meme Contamination. In response to its power, our research project transformed into combating it.

The Anti-Meme and Forbidden Alloy projects have yielded preliminary results, and thanks to these outcomes, I became a member of the supreme directive, responsible for this No. 6 Fortress.

I once tried returning to the ruins, searching for the Mutated Area, but regrettably, I couldn’t find it. The Melward distortion value has gradually stabilized in recent years, but compared to the initial values of our reality, it is still significantly higher.

Due to such changes, a monster completely defying the laws of physics is rampaging in our world. And because of the distorted reality, we were able to create these utterly law-defying weapons, Anti-Memes, Forbidden Alloy...

To better serve this great cause, the supreme directive ordered us to undergo Anti-Meme surgery shortly, allowing us to forget the memories that interfere with our judgment, be it sorrow or joy, all that’s unnecessary forgotten.

I gladly accepted all of it; perhaps this would alleviate some of the guilt I feel about the ”mistake.”

I guess I will forget Johnny, but I’ll keep our photo.

[Log Entry-???]

We lost the war, to be precise, we never won.

The Anti-Meme weapons were used, enabling us to reclaim some territory, but also leaving this world scarred.

Among the survivors, there are voices claiming the monster is the true God, leading everyone in Ascension to the Celestial Kingdom.

Indeed...

This is true; many people assimilated by the monster possessed brief self-awareness, their consciousness transformed into spiritual entities, completely detached from their physical forms, akin to material Ascension, evolving into another greater existence.

I assume the original ”distortion” was similar, elevating our fragile physical forms, but this ”elevation” wasn’t what we desired.

No, perhaps ”distortion” was erroneous, causing humanity to become such monsters.

[Infinite Void], the origin of all this...

I have returned to the initial site of the accident, but can’t locate the Mutated Area. With the stabilization of the Melward distortion value, the ”distortion” of the Mutated Area gradually stabilized into ”reality.”

Today, Dr. Field sent me his final message, saying he couldn’t bear it all anymore, believing he should atone.

Actually, this has nothing to do with him; it was the supreme directive that decided on this course initially, as a researcher would. But Dr. Field said he still couldn’t accept it.

He doesn’t acknowledge the monster as God and believes there absolutely can be no God in this world.

Field is about to commit another mistake, but he is willing to bear all the bloodied sins, choosing to become a madman denounced by others.

He desires vengeance...

[Log Entry-???]

I witnessed Dr. Field’s vengeance; he chose assimilation, along with all survivors in No. 17 Fortress...

Approximately two million people.

They coalesced into a mass, becoming another enormous cluster of consciousness, akin to the monster.

Transforming into a monster.

But at this moment, they still retain brief self-awareness, engaging in battle with that monster. This is a battle on a spiritual level; I can only observe this war from the fluctuating Melward distortion values.

Clearly, Field lost, but unexpectedly, Field detonated all the Anti-Meme weapons and the Echo of the End when assimilating with the entirety of No. 17 Fortress.

This was his style, having planned everything thoroughly. I imagine, if he won, these Anti-Meme weapons would have killed him and the unmanageable monster; if he failed, these weapons would harm the enemy.

He said, only a Demon can kill another Demon.

[Log Entry-???]

We won, one might say we won.

After Field severely wounded the monster, we pursued it relentlessly, eventually imprisoning it completely using No. 13 Fortress.

This was a pyrrhic victory; the enemy was not yet killed, and aftershocks continue to spread across the world.

Fortunately, we were adequately prepared during the war, surviving fortresses will begin the restart plans, and we will become Secret Keepers, attempting to restart human civilization amid the aftershocks of this catastrophe.

The list of Secret Keepers at No. 6 Fortress has already been written up, and I am on it. Now the appointment letter is on my desk, alongside it is a photograph and a loaded handgun.

During the difficult days, I always pick up that photograph. According to the log documents, the woman in the photo was my lover, but I can’t recall anything specific about her.

I have lived too long; most of my body has been replaced by machinery. One friend after another died, even the longest-living Reza died, rumored to have committed suicide. Though he was quite carefree, the Nightmare always followed him and me.

I am thinking this should be a good opportunity to end this damned life of mine. My skull hasn’t been altered, so pulling the trigger could end it all.

However, I hesitate, not out of fear of death, but because I feel I shouldn’t die this way. I am a witness to this catastrophe, obligated to live until the moment this guilt is repaid.

[Log Entry-???]

A new era is about to begin. We have erected monuments to commemorate those who died, and according to the supreme directive, I have destroyed all materials related to that monster. For ease of reference, we named the monster The Inexpressible.

Under order, my log document also belongs in the destruction range. As soon as I hit the delete key, these things will vanish.

Perhaps due to personal bias, or something else, I don’t wish to do this; I hope this log document can be preserved, as it records this awful history... But I cannot disobey the supreme directive.

On the eve of the supreme directive’s dissolution, I proposed the preservation idea to them, expecting a veto, yet they agreed.

Perhaps they also don’t wish for the past to be erased by time; some traces should remain, even if just a little.

I designed an Anti-Meme protection measure, a room, to store all this, to record this ”mistake.”

This complies with the destruction instructions while preserving it.

So, almost, this should be the last log. In a few hours, I will undergo final modification, forgetting all irrelevant matters, becoming a tool, to continue civilization’s trajectory.

It seems now is the time for some concluding remarks... But after much thought, nothing comes to mind.

This will be a new world. The original rules of physics will have some deviations due to the rise in Melward distortion values. Perhaps more peculiar inventions will emerge in this world; thanks to these, more things defying common sense will appear, requiring humanity to adapt gradually.

If something must be said...

...

Well... I’m glad, glad you can see this, new humanity, although you will forget all this after leaving this room, but at least, at least someone briefly remembered it all.

This sacrifice of the old days and... glory.

[No. 6 Fortress Chief, Ladi Faz]